Woodworking machine

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for precisely forming curved surfaces on a wooden workpiece in which the workpiece is automatically centered on a work table which is controllably movable inwardly and outwardly relative to a rotating cutter. The rotating cutter is slidably mounted within a supporting frame so that the cutter can be controllably moved past the workpiece as the workpiece is moved inwardly and outwardly relative to the cutter. A template and a template follower precisely controls the movement of the table and the workpiece relative to the cutter to produce precisely formed curved surfaces on the workpiece.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This is a Continuation In Part Application of Co-pending application,Ser. No. 07/750,829 filed Aug. 27, 1991 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,962.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to woodworking apparatus. Moreparticularly, the invention concerns a woodworking machine for preciselyand reproduceably forming curved surfaces on a workpiece.

Discussion of the Invention Introduction

In fine furniture and cabinet making, it is frequently necessary toprecisely form compound curved surfaces on the workpiece. For example,in professional, large volume cabinet making operations it is necessaryto produce cabinet doors that have a variety of differently styled,generally arch-shaped center panels. The center panels are supportedbetween the stiles and rails of the door and are often of complex shape.In large volume operations the panels must conform to close tolerancesso that they can be interchangeably fitted to their mating separatelyfabricated stiles and rails.

In the past, particularly in cabinet making, the curved surfaces on doorpanels and the like were formed using spindle shapers or routers. Whenrouters were used, the router was moved relative to the fixed workpiecewith templates being used to guide the path of travel of the routercutter. This approach was less than satisfactory, particularly in largevolume operations, One drawback of this approach was that the cuttingoperation was somewhat cumbersome and at least semi-skilled workers wererequired to properly set up and manipulate the router. Another drawbackwas that both the set-up and cutting operation was time consuming andgreat care had to be exercised to make certain that neither theworkpiece nor the template shifted during the cutting step. Desiredprecision was typically difficult to achieve and therefore, rejectionrates were high. Another drawback resided in the fact that, because thecutter was required to move relative to the workpiece, the provision ofadequate safety guards for the cutter was difficult or impossible.

When spindle shapers were used to form the door panels, the workpiecewas moved relative to a fixedly positioned rotating cutter head, onceagain using templates or patterns typically affixed to the workpiece.These operations were also cumbersome, time consuming and difficult.

The aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art are uniquely overcome bythe apparatus of the present invention wherein the workpiece is securelymounted on a work table which is controllably moved inwardly andoutwardly relative to a rotating cutter. The rotating cutter is drivenby a high-speed motor and is controllably moved transversely past theworkpiece as the workpiece is moved inwardly and outwardly. The path oftravel of the work table is precisely controlled by a template so thatextreme accuracy and precise reproduction can be achieved in forming thecurved surfaces on the workpiece. The motor which drives the cutter isreciprocally movable along rigid guide rails mounted internally of acage-like supporting frame to which the work table is moveablyconnected. Once the apparatus is set up it can be operated with utmostsafety by relatively unskilled workmen to produce precisely configuredparts at a very high rate of speed. Additional, novel and uniquefeatures of the apparatus will become apparent from the descriptionwhich follows.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus forprecisely forming curved surfaces on a wooden workpiece in which theworkpiece is removably secured to a work table which is controllablymovable inwardly and outwardly relative to a rotating cutter.

It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus of theaforementioned character in which the rotating cutter is slidablymounted within a supporting frame so that the cutter can be controllablymoved past the workpiece as the workpiece is moved inwardly andoutwardly relative to the cutter.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus asdescribed in the preceding paragraphs in which a template and templatefollower is provided to precisely control the movement of the work tablerelative to the cutter.

Another object of the invention is provide an apparatus of the classdescribed in which the workpiece is automatically centered on the worktable and is securely held in position by operator-actuated clamps.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of the character described inthe preceding paragraph which includes a safety device for disabling thecentering mechanism if a workpiece of an incorrect size is inadvertentlyplaced on the work table.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus forprecisely making a variety of differently configured arch-shaped panelsfor cabinet doors which is safe and easy to operate by unskilled workmento produce high-quality, precision panels.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus asdescribed in the preceding paragraph which is of simple design, ishighly reliable in use and can be inexpensively manufactured andmaintained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of the woodworking machine of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the machine.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the machine showing the workpiece clampedin position on the supporting table.

FIG. 4 is a generally perspective view of the finished workpiece afterthe curved surfaces have been cut.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the upper forwardportion of the apparatus of the invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower, forward portion ofthe apparatus of the invention.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross-sectional view of the templateand template follower portions of the apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary top plan illustrational view showing the mannerin which the rollers of the follower assembly transverse the template orpattern.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 9--9 of FIG. 1

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary top plan view of the supporting table of theapparatus partly broken away to show the construction of the mechanismfor operating the centering slides of the machine which function toprecisely center the workpiece relative to the cutter head.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the supporting tablesimilar to FIG. 10 further illustrating the mechanism for operating thecentering slides.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 12--12 of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 13--13 of FIG. 11.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 14--14 of FIG. 11.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 15--15 of FIG. 11.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 16--16 of FIG. 11

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary top plan view similar to FIG. 11 but showingthe activation of a safety switch which functions to deactivate thecentering slide operating mechanism.

FIG. 18 is a front positional view showing the motor and cutter headassembly of the apparatus in position at the approximate mid-point ofthe cutting cycle.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 19--19 of FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is a view taken along lines 20--20 of FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 is a top plan positional view illustrating the position of themotor and cutter head assembly at the beginning of the cutting cycle.

FIG. 22 is a top plan positional view illustrating the cutter head in aforward three-quarter cycle position with the curved surface on theworkpiece having been formed.

FIG. 23 is a top plan positional view illustrating the position of thecutter head after completion of a full forward cycle.

FIG. 24 is a front view showing the position of the cutter head aftercompletion of a full forward cycle.

FIG. 25 is a front elevational view of another form of woodworkingapparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a view taken along lines 26--26 of FIG. 25.

FIG. 27 is a view taken along lines 27--27 of FIG. 25.

FIG. 28 is a rear view of the form of the apparatus shown in FIG. 25.

FIG. 29 is a view taken along lines 27--27 of FIG. 27.

FIGS. 30A and 30B represent a view taken along lines 30--30 of FIG. 29.

FIG. 31 is a view taken along lines 31--31 of FIG. 30B.

FIG. 32 is a view similar to FIG. 31 but showing the workpiece beingclamped in position relative to the cutter.

FIGS. 33A and 33B represent a view taken along lines 33--33 of FIG. 32.

FIG. 34 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 34--34 of FIG. 33B.

FIG. 35 is a fragmentary view showing the displacement of the workpiecefrom the hopper to the cutting position.

FIG. 36 is a view similar to FIG. 34 but showing the ejection of theworkpiece from the cutting position following completion of the cuttingoperation.

FIG. 37 is a fragmentary rear view similar to FIG. 28 showing themovement of the cutting head relative to the controlling limit switches.

FIG. 38 is a view taken along lines 38--38 of FIG. 34.

FIG. 39 is a generally schematic view illustrating the displacement ofthe limit switches of the apparatus as the cutter head moves relative tothe workpiece.

FIG. 40 is a generally perspective view of the workpiece after cutting.

DESCRIPTION OF ONE EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, theapparatus for cutting a curved surface on a workpiece of wood, plasticor the like is generally designated by the numeral 12. The majoroperating subassemblies of the apparatus of the invention comprise arigid, cage-like supporting frame 14, cutter means mounted within theframe for cutting the workpiece, support means, including a table 15,for supporting the work-piece, and follower means operably associatedwith the cutting means for following a preselected template. As will bedescribed more fully hereinafter, the template or pattern is removablymounted beneath the table and is provided with a downwardly protrudingcurved surface portion that corresponds in shape to the curved surfaceto be cut on the workpiece.

In the present form of the apparatus of the invention, the cutter meanscomprises a motor 16 having a rotating shaft 18 and a cutter headassembly 20 which is operably interconnected with shaft 18. As best seenby referring to FIG. 2, cutter head assembly 20 comprises a rotatableshaft 22 having a pulley 24 mounted on the first end thereof and acutter head 26 removably mounted on the second end thereof. Pulley 24 isoperably interconnected with a pulley 28 mounted on motor shaft 18 by asuitable drive belt 30.

The cutter means is movable between first and second positions alongfirst guide means here provided as a pair of horizontally extendingfirst guide rods 32. First guide rod engagement means, shown here asbushings 34 (FIG. 1), are provided on the cutter means for guiding themovement of the cutter means along the first guide rods between thefirst and second positions.

Drive means, here provided in the form of hydraulic assembly 36, aremounted on the supporting frame for controllably moving the cutter meansalong the first guide rods. Hydraulic assembly 36 is of conventionaldesign and, as shown in FIG. 24, includes a hydraulic cylinder 36awithin which a piston 36b reciprocates. A connecting rod 36c isconnected at one end to piston 36b and at the opposite end to a bracket37 which comprises a part of the cutter means.

As indicated in FIG. 3, limit switches 38, also of conventional design,are provided at either end of the frame assembly for automaticallycontrolling the reciprocal movement of the cutter means along the firstguide rods 32. As will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter, thiscontrolled movement of the cutter means, which could also beaccomplished pneumatically or electrically, moves the cutter head 26past a selected workpiece 42 after the workpiece has been securelyclamped in position on the support means of the apparatus.

Turning once again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the support means of the presentembodyment comprises the previously mentioned generally horizontallyextending supporting table 15, which includes a lower surface 15a and anupper surface 15b upon which the workpiece 42 (FIG. 1) rests. Thesupport means also include locating mean for precisely positioning theworkpiece on the supporting table. The locating means here comprisesclamping means provided in the form of a plurality of clamping assembles44 and a pair of locating elements 45 (FIG. 1) which are controllablymovable relative to supporting table 15 for engagement with theworkpiece 42 to center it with respect to the cutter head and thetemplate 46. The details of the construction and operation of theclamping assemblies and the locating elements will presently bedescribed. Also forming an important part of the support means of theapparatus of the present invention is the previously mentioned template46 which is removably mounted below the supporting table 15 forengagement by the follower means. As best seen in FIGS. 6 and 9,template 46 includes an upper planar portion 46a and a lower curvedportion 46b.

As indicated FIGS. 2, 6 and 20, the follower means here comprises afollower assembly generally designated by the numeral 50, which extendsforwardly of frame 14 and is connected to the cutter means by a followersupporter assembly 51 in the manner shown in FIG. 2 and 6 so that, asthe cutter means reciprocates within frame 14, the follower assemblywill also move back and forth beneath the supporting table 15. As bestseen in FIG. 6, the follower assembly includes a forwardly extendingsupport member 52 upon which is rotatably mounted a pair of spaced-apartrollers 54. As indicated in FIG. 8, as the cutter means, along with thefollower means, reciprocates longitudinally of frame 14, the rollers 54will follow along the front and rear, spaced-apart curved surfaces 46cand 46d of the template 46 in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 8, 19 and20. As will be described n the following paragraphs, this movement ofthe follower assembly causes precisely controlled movement of thesupporting table and the workpiece secured thereto toward and away fromthe cutter head 26.

Turning particularly to FIGS. 2 and 19, the support means of theapparatus can be seen to further include second guide means providedhere as a pair of second guide rods 56 which are mounted below table 15.Second guide rods 56 are slidably received within second guide rodengagement means, here provided as spaced-apart sets of bushings 58,which are mounted on forwardly extending support assembly 60 whichcomprise a portion of rigid frame 14. With the construction thusdescribed, as the cutter means moves from the first position to thesecond position, the rollers will roll along the front and rear surfacesof template 46 from the position shown in FIG. 2 to the position shownin FIG. 22. Since the work supporting means, including second guide rods56, are free to slidably move within bushings 58 forwardly andrearwardly relative to the cutting head 26 as indicated by the arrow inFIG. 19, the workpiece 42 when clamped securely in position on thesupporting table will move relative to cutter 26 along a pathcorresponding to the path of travel of rollers 54. In this way thecurved surfaces 42a (FIG. 4) will be cut on the workpiece. The radius ofthese surfaces, of course precisely correspond to the radius of thefront surface of the template 46 along which one of the rollers 54 ofthe follower means roll. The other of the rollers "floats" along thebackside of the template. This makes templates quite easy to fabricatebecause the rear surface need not be perfectly, geometrically identicalto the front surface. To insure that rollers 54 are maintained inengagement with the template, hydraulic damper means, shown in FIG. 6 asa conventional hydraulic damper assembly 55 having a push rod 55a,function to yieldably urge rollers 54 continuously against the curvedsurfaces of template 46.

As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, motor 16 is mounted within an inner,cage-like assembly 70 which is provided with spaced-apart bushings 72.Bushings 72 are adapted to slide along third guide means, or guide rods74, also mounted within cage-like frame 14. With this construction,inner-cage 70 along with motor 16 and cutter assembly 20, can beprecisely moved forwardly and rearwardly within frame 14 so as toposition the cutter 26 at a desired starting location with respect tothe workpiece 42. In this way, workpieces of various sizes as well ascutter heads of various configurations can readily be accommodated.

In operating the apparatus of the present form of the invention, thedesired cutting head 26 is affixed to shaft 22 and motor cage 70 ispositioned in the desired location for accomplishing work on theworkpiece 42 which is to be cut. Next, the workpiece 42 is placed on thework table 15 with its forward edge against adjustable stops 73 (FIG. 3)and its sides intermediate locating elements 45. As best seen in FIG. 5,a pair of bushings 45a are connected to each of the elements 45.Bushings 45a slide along fourth guide means shown here as a pair offourth guide rods 47 which are mounted on table 15.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 5 and 10, it can be seen that supportingtable 15 is provided with a longitudinally extending groove 15c withinwhich a pair of slides 43 can slide. Slides 43, which comprise a part ofthe locating means for locating the workpiece on the supporting table,are provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced apertures 43a,the purpose of which will presently be described. The locating means ofthis form of the invention also comprises a hydraulically orpneumatically operated linkage mechanism generally designated in FIG. 10by the numeral 76. One link 76a of the linkage mechanism is operablyinterconnected with one of the slides 43 while a second link element 76bis operably interconnected with the second slide 43. A central linkagemember 76c is interconnected to linkage members 76a and 76b at locationsintermediate the ends of the linkage member 76c. Member 76c is alsoconnected proximate one end thereof with a hydraulic connector rod 78which forms a part of hydraulic actuating means for operating thelinkage assembly. The hydraulic actuating means also includes a cylinder79 which is connected to supporting table 15. As is apparent from FIG.10, with this construction movement of the connecting rod 78 toward theright as viewed in FIG. 10 will cause slides 43 to move toward oneanother. In order to accommodate for larger or smaller workpieces, thespacing between the locating elements 45 of the invention is madeadjustable through the use of locking pins 80 of the character shown inFIG. 5. Locking pins 80 are receivable within apertures 82 formed inlocking elements 45 which apertures are selectively indexable withlongitudinally-spaced apertures 43a provided in slides 43. With thisconstruction, in initially setting up the locating means, the locatingelements 45 are spaced apart a distance slightly wider than the width ofthe workpiece and in alignment with selected indicia, such as indicia"12" (FIG. 10). This done apertures 82 in locating elements 45 arealigned with the selected apertures 43a in slides 43. Pins 80 are theninserted through apertures 82 and into apertures 43a in the manner shownin FIG. 12 so as to interlock together the slides and the locatingelements. With pins 80 in position, the workpiece can be insertedbetween the locating elements 46 at any location. Upon activation of thelinkage assembly, the slides 43 will urge the locating elements 46 intoclamping engagement with the edges of the workpiece sliding it in onedirection or another to the point that the work piece is secured betweenlocating elements 45. The arrangement of the linkage assembly 76 is suchthat when the locking elements 45 are in locking engagement with thespaced-apart sides of the workpiece, the workpiece will automatically beprecisely centered with respect to the cutter head and the template.

As indicated in FIGS. 11 and 17, safety means in the form of a safetyswitch 84 is provided to disable the locking means if a workpiece of thewrong size is placed between locking elements 45. More particularly, ifthe workpiece is too small for the selected positioning of the locatingelements, for example, 61/2 inches wide (FIG. 17) and the lockingelements are aligned with the numbers "12" engraved on the work table,(FIG. 10) travel of the connector rod 78 to the right past the point ofcorrect engagement of the locking element 45 with the correct 73/4 inchwide workpiece will result in the engagement of the connector rod 78with plunger 84a of the safety switch (FIG. 17) which will disable thehydraulic means. With the correct 73/4 inch workpiece, the connector rod78 will not contact plunger 84a and the safety switch will not beactivated.

When the workpiece is correctly centered and the template in place, theclamping assemblies 44 are then actuated by a foot switch causing theworkpiece engaging heads 44a to move downwardly into clamping engagementwith the workpiece 42 in the manner shown in FIG. 1. As best seen inFIG. 5, clamping assemblies 44 are supported by a cross member 90 whichis elevated above the work table 15. The clamping assemblies may behydraulically, pneumatically or electrically operated (for example,solenoid operated) in a manner such that connecting rods 44b to whichheads 44a are interconnected can be controllably moved upwardly anddownwardly within housings 44c and into and out of secured clampingengagement with the work piece 42.

Prior to placing the workpiece in position, the desired template isselected and positioned within the template holding assembly 86 in themanner shown in FIGS. 1 and 6. As indicated in these figures, thetemplate holding assembly 86 is connected to table 15 by a connectorplate 87 and comprises upper and lower plates 88 and 90 between whichthe template 46 can be slidably inserted and locked in position by meansof swiveling keeper members 92. Each of the templates 46 is providedwith grooved portions 46e which is adapted to mate with tongues providedon a locating elements 94 which, as shown in FIG. 6, forms a part oftemplate holding assembly 86. With this construction, when the template46 is in position within the holding assembly, it will be preciselycentered with respect to the workpiece after the work piece has beenclamped in position by the locating means of the apparatus. It should benoted that safety switches are preferably provided so that, until thetemplate is in place, no other function can be performed. The templateholding assembly will receive templates of varying configuration and isdesigned so that each template is precisely indexed with respect to theparticular workpiece that is clamped into position on the support tableby the clamping and locating means.

With the proper template in place and the workpiece clamped to thetable, motor 16 is energized using an appropriate hand switch and thecutter assembly, along with the template, is moved longitudinally of theframe by the hydraulic drive means 36. As the cutter assembly moves tothe left as shown in FIG. 21 the rollers 54 will engage the lower curvedportion of the template as indicated in FIGS. 8 and 21. When the cutterassembly reaches the mid cycle point the apparatus will be in theposition indicated in FIGS. 18 and 20 and the rollers 54 will be at themid point of the template 46. At this position the table 15 has movedaway from the cutter a maximum distance so as to form the top portion ofthe arch indicated by the letter "T" in FIG. 4 Continued movement of thecutter to the left will position the apparatus as shown in FIG. 21. Atthe end of the forward cycle the apparatus will be as shown in FIGS. 23and 24. Engagement of the limit switches 38 will then causedisenablement of the hydraulic drive and the automatic release of thelocating means to that the formed workpiece can be removed. The cuttermeans will remain in the position shown in FIGS. 23 and 24 until anothercycle is commenced. During the return cycle, the cutter assembly willform a second workpiece in the manner described in the precedingparagraphs. At the end of the second cycle, the apparatus will be in thestarting position with the drive and locating means having been disabledby a second set of limit switches. The safety switches, hand switchesand limit switches of the apparatus and their manner of interconnectionare well understood by those skilled in the art.

Referring now to FIGS. 25 through 40 another form of

Referring now to FIGS. 25 through 40 another form of cutting apparatusfor cutting a workpiece of wood, plastic or the like is there shown andgenerally designated by the numeral 112. As was the case with thepreviously described embodiment, the major operating subassemblies ofthe apparatus of this latest form of the invention comprise a rigid,cage-like supporting frame 114, cutter means mounted within the framefor cutting the workpiece, and support means, including a supportingsurface 115, for supporting the workpiece. This form of the apparatusalso includes a hopper means for supporting a plurality of workpieces.As will be described more fully hereinafter, the hopper means comprisesan angularly extending hopper 116 mounted on the supporting frameproximate supporting surface 115.

In the present form of the apparatus of the invention, the cutter meanscomprises a carriage means which supports a motor 117 having a rotatingdrive shaft 118 and a cutter head assembly 120 which is operablyinterconnected with shaft 118. As best seen by referring to FIG. 25,cutter head assembly 120 comprises a rotatable shaft 122 having a pulley124 mounted on the first end thereof and a cutter head 126 removablymounted on the second end thereof. Pulley 124 is operably interconnectedwith a pulley 128 mounted on drive shaft 110 by a suitable drive belt130.

The carriage means, which comprises a cage like carriage 131 is movablebetween first and second positions along guide means here provided as apair of first guide members or rods 132. Guide rod engagement means,shown here as bushings 134 (FIG. 29), are provided on the carriage forguiding the movement of the carriage along the guide rods between thefirst and second positions.

Drive means, here provided in the form of hydraulic assembly 136, aremounted on the supporting frame for controllably moving the carriagealong the guide rods. Hydraulic assembly 136 is of conventional designand, as shown in FIG. 28, includes a hydraulic cylinder 136a withinwhich a piston 136b reciprocates. A connecting rod 136c is connected atone end to piston 136b and at the opposite end to a bracket 137 which isconnected to frame 114 and comprises a part of the cutter means.Cylinder 136a is appropriately connected to hydraulic lines 137 in amanner well known to those skilled in the art.

As indicated in FIG. 29, limit switches 138, also of conventionaldesign, are provided at either end of the supporting frame and comprisepart of the switch means for automatically controlling the reciprocalmovement of the locating and clamping means of the invention, thetransfer means and the reciprocal movement of the carriage along theguide rods 132. As will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter, thissequentially controlled movement of the various operating components ofthe apparatus can be accomplished pneumatically or electrically as thecutter head 126 moves back and forth past a selected workpiece 142 (FIG.32).

Turning to FIGS. 33 and 34, the support means of the present embodimentcomprises the previously mentioned, angularly upwardly extendingsupporting table 127, which includes the upper supporting surface 115upon which the workpiece 142 rests. The support means also includessecurement means for precisely positioning the workpiece on thesupporting table. The securement means here comprises clamping meansprovided in the form of a clamping element 144 and a transverse locatingassembly 145 (FIG. 32) both of which are controllably movable relativeto the supporting table for engagement with the workpiece 142 toproperly position it with respect to the cutter head 126. The details ofthe construction and operation of the clamping and locating assemblieswill presently be described.

Another important feature of the apparatus of this form of the inventioncomprises transfer means for sequentially transferring the workpiecesone at a time from the hopper 116 to the supporting surface 115. As bestseen by referring to FIGS. 31, 32, 33 and 34, the workpieces W arestacked one on top of another within the hopper 116. The bottomworkpiece, designated in FIG. 31 by the numeral 142, is engagable by apusher member 150 which comprises a part of the transfer means. Pushermember 150, along with table 127 and guide rods 151 is movable withinguide bearing 152 (FIG. 33B) from the first position shown in FIG. 31 tothe second position shown in FIG. 32 by a hydraulic assembly 152 (FIG.33B) which is connected to the supporting frame and comprises a cylinder154 within which a piston 156 reciprocates. Piston 156 is connected to arod 158, the outboard end of which is connected to table 127 and topusher member 150 via a bracket 159 in the manner best seen in FIGS.33B, 35 and 36. As the pusher member and the table is moved to the leftfrom the first position shown in figure 31 to the second position shownin FIG. 32, the bottom workpiece 142 will be moved to the left and willdrop onto support surface 115 in the manner shown in FIG. 34. Uponreaching this position, a limit switch 160 will actuate hydraulicassembly 162 which functions to move the clamping element 144 intoclamping engagement with the workpiece in the manner illustrated in FIG.32.

Hydraulic assembly 162 is of standard construction having a hydrauliccylinder 163 within which a piston 165 reciprocates. Clamping element144 is connected to piston 165 so that it can be controllably movedupwardly and downwardly relative to the workpiece. At the same time thatclamping element 144 moves toward clamping engagement with the workpiecehydraulic assembly 164 will move locating assembly 145 to the left fromthe first retracted position shown in FIG. 31 to the clamping positionshown in FIGS. 32 and 34 and will move locking member 166 intoengagement with the side of the workpiece 142. Hydraulic assembly 164 isconnected to the supporting frame and is also of standard constructioncomprising a hydraulic cylinder 168 within which a piston 170reciprocates. Connector rod 172 is connected at one end to piston 170and at the other end to a clamping assembly 174 which includes workpieceengaging or locking member 166. As piston 170 reciprocates withincylinder 168, assembly 174, along with guide rods 167, will move withinbearings 169 from the first retracted position to the second clampingposition shown in FIG. 33B. With members 166 clamping element 144 inengagement with the workpiece, the workpiece will be locked against thework table and will be properly positioned relative to cutter head 126so that the cutting step can be accomplished as the carriage moves alongguide rods 132.

As before, the limit or control switches which activate the transfermeans, the securement means, and the carriage reciprocating means are ofstandard construction and their installation and operation is wellunderstood by those skilled in the art.

Once the cutting operation of the workpiece has been completed, theejection means of the invention functions to eject the finishedworkpiece from the work table in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 26, 27and 36. More particularly, as shown in FIGS. 37 and 39, movement of thecarriage to the right causes a switching means comprising switch 180,which is mounted on the carriage 131 to engage one of the switchactuating means, in this case finger 182. As indicated in FIGS. 37 and39, when the carriage carries the cutter head past the workpiece, switch180 is depressed by finger 182 and is actuated so as to cause theclamping element and the locating member 176 to move from the securementposition shown in FIG. 34 to the retracted position shown in FIG. 36. Atthe same time, pusher member 150 along with table 127 moves from theposition shown in FIG. 34 to the position shown in FIG. 36. As the tablethusly moves, ejection member 184 engages workpiece 142 in a manner toprevent its movement with the table. When the table reaches the positionshown in FIG. 36, the workpiece, which is no longer supported by surface115, will fall downwardly by force of gravity.

It is to be noted that the switching means, which here comprisesswitches 180 and 186, is of unique construction. Switch actuation means,or fingers 182 and 184, are pivotally mounted on the supporting frameand include angularly extending edges 182a and 184a so that as thecarriage moves one way the fingers will swing out of the way and, whenthe carriage moves the opposite way, the fingers will actuate itsrespective switch. More particularly, when the carriage moves to theright as shown in FIG. 39, finger 184 will swing out of the way butfinger 182 will actuate switch 180. Conversely, when the carriage movesto the left, finger 182 will swing out of the way and finger 184 willactuate switch 186.

During the cutting cycle, when the locating assembly 145 reaches theretracted position shown in FIG. 30B, limit switch 168 will be actuatedcausing the reverse cutting cycle to begin. More particularly, thetransfer means will be actuated in a manner to transfer the nextworkpiece from the hopper to the worktable. The locating assembly thenmoves toward the workpiece will be securely held in position as thecutter moves past the workpiece in the reverse direction (to the left asviewed in FIG. 37). Once the workpiece is cut, the carriage will movepast finger 184 of the switching means in a manner to actuate switch 186which, in turn, actuates the workpiece ejection step causing thelocating assembly and the clamping element to once more move into theirretracted position so that the cycle can be repeated. With thisconstruction, an appropriate cut, such as the tongue T shown in FIG. 40,will be made on a work during both the forward and reverse movement ofthe carriage 131.

Having now described the invention in detail in accordance with therequirements of the patent statutes, those skilled in the art will haveno difficulty in making changes and modifications in the individualparts or their relative assembly in order to meet specific requirementsor conditions. Such changes and modifications may be made withoutdeparture from the scope and spirit of the invention, as set forth inthe following claims.

I claim:
 1. An apparatus for cutting workpieces, comprising:(a) asupporting frame, including a guide member and a workpiece supportsurface; (b) a hopper connected to said supporting frame proximate saidwork support surface for supporting a plurality of workpieces in astacked relationship; (c) transfer means for sequentially transferringsaid workpieces from said hopper to said supporting surface; (d)securement means for securing said workpieces relative to saidsupporting surface; (e) a carriage reciprocally movable along said guidemember between first and second positions; (f) cutting means mounted onsaid carriage for cutting engagement with said workpieces as saidcarriage moves along said guide member; (g) ejection means mounted onsaid supporting frame for sequentially removing said workpieces fromsaid supporting surface after cutting by said cutting means.
 2. Anapparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said cutting meanscomprises:(a) a motor connected to said carriage, said motor having adrive shaft; and (b) a cutter head assembly mounted on said supportingframe, said cutter head assembly comprising a rotatable shaft drivablyconnected to said drive shaft of said motor and a cutter head connectedto said rotatable shaft for rotation therewith.
 3. An apparatus asdefined in claim 2 further including means for controllably moving saidcarriage along said guide member, said means comprising at least onehydraulic cylinder connected to said main frame.
 4. An apparatus asdefined in claim 2 in which said securement means comprises clampingmeans for imparting a downward force on said workpiece and locatingmeans for imparting a transverse force against said workpiece.
 5. Anapparatus as defined in claim 2 in which said transfer means comprisesmeans for moving said workpiece supporting surface relative to saidhopper.
 6. An apparatus for cutting workpieces, comprising:(a) asupporting frame, including a guide member and a workpiece supportsurface; (b) a hopper connected to said supporting frame proximate saidwork support surface for supporting a plurality of workpieces in astacked relationship; (c) transfer means for sequentially transferringsaid workpieces from said hopper to said supporting surface, saidtransfer means comprising means for moving said workpiece supportingsurface in relation to said hopper; (d) securement means for securingsaid workpieces relative to said supporting surface, said securementmeans comprising clamping means for imparting a downward force on saidworkpiece and locating means for imparting a transverse force againstsaid workpiece; (e) a carriage reciprocally movable along said guidemember between first and second positions; (f) cutting means mounted onsaid carriage for cutting engagement with said workpieces as saidcarriage moves along said guide member, said cutting meanscomprising:(i) a motor connected to said carriage, said motor having adrive shaft; and (ii) a cutter head assembly mounted on said supportingframe, said cutter head assembly comprising a rotatable shaft drivablyconnected to said drive shaft of said motor and a cutter head connectedto said rotatable shaft for rotation therewith; and (g) ejection meansmounted on said supporting frame for sequentially removing saidworkpieces from said supporting surface after cutting by said cuttingmeans.
 7. An apparatus as defined in claim 9 further including means forcontrollably moving said carriage along said guide member, said meanscomprising at least one hydraulic cylinder connected to said main frame.